Why customers want to finance essentials like washers and dryers – and how retailers can capture the sale
When a washer or dryer breaks, shoppers move fast, but many cannot absorb the upfront cost. This guide explains why essentials drive financing demand in appliances, and how retailers can use lease-to-own financing to convert high-urgency shoppers into completed sales.
Key takeaways:
Essentials create urgency; lease-to-own financing turns urgency into a closed ticket when budgets are tight.
Upfront appliance prices and emergency-purchase stress increase lease-to-own financing demand.
Retailers win more full-solution bundles when financing is introduced early and made visible across in-store and digital touchpoints.
When a washer or dryer breaks, customers feel like their whole life just got thrown into the spin cycle. Laundromat costs stack up quickly, and households need clean clothes for work, school, and daily routines.
But despite the urgency, the upfront price of a washer or dryer is often more than shoppers can absorb in the moment. And when that urgent shopper hits a budget wall, you typically don’t get a second chance.
Lease-to-own financing is what turns that shopper into a confident “yes.”
Why customers are increasingly financing essential appliances
Essential categories behave differently than discretionary ones. The shopper did not plan the purchase, the need is immediate, and the consequences of delaying are real.
Upfront costs have risen while budgets stay tight
Appliance prices have climbed, driven by supply chain shocks, rising materials costs, and “must-have” features like energy efficiency and smart tech.
Even entry-to-mid tier laundry can still be a significant expense. Consumer pricing ranges commonly land in the hundreds to well over a thousand dollars, depending on capacity and features. The typical price of a washing machine is between $300 and $1,500; for dryers, it's between $400 and $1,500.
At the same time, a little over one in three U.S. adults report they could not cover a $400 emergency expense completely with cash or its equivalent.
Emergency purchases create financial stress
Laundry breakdowns are “right now” purchases. Customers are already stressed before they walk in, which means they are more likely to:
Prioritize speed over comparison shopping
Default to a cheaper, lower-fit model to lower the ticket
Walk away entirely if the only path is full cash upfront
Traditional credit does not catch every qualified buyer
Many households have steady income but still run into friction with traditional credit, especially shoppers with limited history or thin files. When the application is a barrier, the customer’s urgency does not go away; they simply take it elsewhere.
Financing helps customers maintain quality instead of downgrading
Without a pay-over-time path, shoppers often compromise in ways that create downstream dissatisfaction:
Choosing a smaller capacity than the household needs
Skipping energy-efficiency upgrades that reduce operating costs
Opting for a lower-tier model that may not fit their usage pattern or break down faster
That dissatisfaction shows up as returns, service complaints, and brand erosion. Lease-to-own financing helps customers stay in the right product range for their needs, which protects the experience and the relationship.
How retailers can use lease-to-own financing to capture essential appliance sales
Lease-to-own financing works best when it is part of the shopping journey, not a last-second save.
Your goal is to reduce anxiety early and keep the customer in the right-fit decision track.
Introduce lease-to-own financing early in the conversation
You should not wait until checkout to bring up financing. You also should not position it as a last resort. Distressed shoppers want reassurance early in the conversation.
Here's a script example that associates can use on the floor:
“If this replacement was unexpected, many customers choose Snap’s lease-to-own financing to get the right washer or dryer they really need today and pay over time. We can walk through options together.”
Normalize financing through in-store messaging
Place customer-facing messaging where urgency is highest:
Laundry pairs and bundles
Energy-efficient upgrades
Delivery, installation, and haul-away desks
Service counters and parts areas
Simple works:
“Need it today? Pay over time.”
"Replace your laundry set without paying the full cost upfront.”
Show per-paycheck pricing, not just ticket price
A four-figure ticket can trigger immediate sticker shock. Presenting a pay-over-time view keeps the shopper in the conversation and supports trade-up decisions.
Avoid “affordable” or “manageable” language. Keep it factual: “pay over time,” “smaller payments,” “payments aligned to pay cycles.”
Build bundles that match real-life needs
Bundles help you sell the full solution:
Washer + dryer set
Laundry set + delivery + installation + haul-away
Laundry + hoses, cords, venting, pedestals, or stacking kits
Laundry set + protection plan (where available)
Digital tactics retailers can use to promote appliance financing
Digital visibility is lease-to-own financing’s multiplier. If customers cannot see payment options online, they self-select out before they ever walk in.
Add payment messaging to product display pages (PDPs) and category pages
Place messaging above the fold on laundry category pages and on PDPs near price and delivery information. Use ready-made digital banners to make it easy for customers to apply from your website. Find them in your Merchant Portal under the Marketing tab.
Examples:
“Replace your washer today and pay over time.”
“Washer and dryer sets available with pay-over-time options.”
Ask a sales rep about POP materials, plus training and resources in the Merchant Portal.
Use email and SMS to position “emergency-ready” shopping
Essentials campaigns perform when they are built around real triggers:
“Laundry stopped working?”
“Need a replacement fast?”
“Washer and dryer sets available with pay-over-time options.”
Keep the call to action direct: Shop laundry, check options, apply.
Audit your online decline flow
If a customer is declined by one option, do not leave them stranded. A clean reroute to Snap's lease-to-own financing paths keeps the customer on-site and in-cart.
Operationally, this is one of the highest-leverage fixes in appliance e-commerce because urgency shoppers rarely “come back later.”
How Snap Finance helps retailers sell essentials, not downgrades
In essentials, shoppers are not trying to avoid buying from you. They are trying to avoid disrupting their entire household budget. Snap helps you keep the customer in the right product set by offering lease-to-own financing designed to get them what they need when they need it.
Why Snap works so well for appliances:
Fast mobile application with decisions in seconds, ideal for urgent replacements
Pay-over-time options for customers often declined by traditional credit1
Lease-to-own financing approval amounts that support laundry sets and eligible add-ons like delivery and installation
Payment schedules aligned with pay cycles
Make lease-to-own financing your appliance advantage and close the urgent sale
When essentials break, shoppers need a clear path to action. If lease-to-own financing is visible and introduced early, you help customers stay in the right product range, move forward with confidence, and leave with a complete solution instead of a downgrade. That is better for the customer experience and better for your margins.
Not a Snap partner? Partner with Snap Finance to capture high-urgency sales.
Snap-branded product offering includes retail installment contracts, bank installment loans, and lease-to-own financing. For more detailed information, please visit snapfinance.com/legal/products
1 Not all applicants are approved. Approvals subject to underwriting qualification criteria.